Car Hire Dortmund - Mini guide to Dortmund

Situated in the middle of north Rhine-Westphalia, Dortmund is one of the ten most prominent cities in Germany and features an attractive town centre, wonderful parks and a rich vein of cultural energy and variety.

One of Dortmund's largest cultural magnets is the Museum am Ostwall, with its comprehensive collection of 20th century art, including: paintings, sculptures, objêts d'art and photographs. Another magnet is Haus Bodelschwingh, a castle with a moat, dating from the 13th century.

Dortmund is well known as a shopper’s paradise and boasts many pedestrian precincts in the city centre. However, the city is traditionally famous for football (Borussia Dortmund) and producing most of the beer in the country (check out the Brewery Museum). Additionally, Dortmund is home to some fine sweeping parklands and gardens.

Theatres, the opera house and the richly varied music scene all highlight Dortmund's cultural diversity. With more than 800 performances a year, the famous Dortmund City Playhouse ranks as one of the most productive theatres in Germany, and the 10,000-seat Westfalenhalle hosts everything from bike races to concerts and ice shows.

The whole area is scattered with charming towns and villages, not forgetting the big four: Essen, Duisburg, Düsseldorf and Cologne. Of special interest is the glorious, twin-towered Dom of Cologne, which is one of Europe's great triumphs of Gothic architecture. Düsseldorf's elegant shops on the Königsallee and the nightlife of the old town are also not to be missed.

The main motorways into Dortmund include the A2 (east-west), the A45 from the south and the A1 from the north. Trains and Eurolines buses arrive from all over Germany and Europe. The airport is 12kms to the east and there are regular shuttle buses to Holzwickede Station, where you can catch a train to the centre.